“I’m guessing I’m going against the population with that one as well.” She arranged the box strategically in her basket next to a bucket of popcorn.
“You don’t like chocolate?” I questioned.
I was actually baffled. What woman didn’t like chocolate?
“Too rich for me.” She went back to examining the shelf as if I weren’t even present.
She hadn’t asked me about football. About the NFL. About being a coach. About anything related to the Canyon Cougars. She didn’t give a single fuck about who I was.It was absolutely refreshing.
My body instantly relaxed. I surveyed the assortments, realizing I needed to put one in my cart or this could get awkward, fast.
“Why no icing? Too sweet?” I snatched a box of the s’mores and dumped it next to my eggs.
“No. I just have a coupon.” She waved her phone at me.
“Ah. You’re one of those.” I chuckled.
“One of what?” She pursed her lips.
“Are you extreme? Do you have seventeen bottles of laundry detergent in a closet at home?”
She laughed again, shaking her head. “No. I’m on a budget.” She snatched up a box of protein bars. “It’s kind of thrilling, though.”
Her eyes lit up as she scanned through her phone before turning it to face me. “See. This week the chicken legs are on sale for only forty-nine cents a pound.”
I peered over at the screen, then moved my eyes back to her face. She had a dimple on her right cheek and a dust of freckles over her nose. They were light, but you couldn’t miss them. Not this close. They were the kind that most likely intensified when she spent time in the sun.
“And these.” She leaned in closer and I reluctantly brought my attention back to the device in her hand. “These bags of chips are buy two, get one free.”
“I have to admit. I’m not a coupon guy.” I scratched my stubble that was days overdue. “I actually avoid coming here for as long as possible.”
She dropped her phone in her purse, then took a step back. I already hated the distance. “Most of the deals are on Sundays.”
Today is Sunday.I mentally made that note. Maybe I could come next Sunday and she’d be here again.
Geez, Rusk. Desperate much?
“So this is how you get your thrills?” I leaned an elbow against my cart.
“I mean, it’s one way.” A smile graced her lips, then she blushed, like she'd just realized the double meaning.
Damn, what I wouldn’t give to be the one to deliver that thrill. Just to see her smile at me like that again.
“I’m new to town.” She continued. “I haven’t really done much but unpack and come here.”
I held out my hand. “I’m Preston. Welcome to Canyon.”
She took it gingerly, her smooth skin sliding against mine. “Trinity.”
“Nice to meet you.” I slowly let go of her hand, allowing the intoxicating reaction of her skin on mine to work its way through my system.
“Well, I better get going.” She tucked that stubborn piece of hair behind her ear. The one I longed to feel between my fingertips. “Don’t want all those chicken legs to be gone.”
I nodded, shifting my cart to the side. “Have a good day, Trinity.”
“You too.” She placed her hands on her cart, traveling down the aisle before disappearing around a platform of Velveeta cheese.
I stared blankly at the empty space. This had never happened to me before. One conversation. Five minutes. And I was a fucking goner.
